Reviews

A bit cringe, a bit drama and much fluff...

The most amazing thing about this series is, that it's a japanese/thai co-production, even when filmed in Thailand, everyone except "Junji" is thai.

The start is rough with the subtitles, but it got better with ep 5... The first episodes are easy to follow even when you don't know exactly what they say, but everyone should get the gist of it. This story is similar to "Our Dating Sim" but with major differences. First the company is much bigger, second the couple did not meet in school, but through a game, even when that is not obvious for some time.

While a japanese production it follows the thai forumla, which means a bit of cringe and funny scenes which are not that funny in my eyes. But overall they did have a good story (not a stellar one), good character progression and even the "side couple" had ample of screentime and did not feel like an afterthought. The only sad point was, that Fluke resembled his acting in UWMA but his character was much stronger and focused. He did a good job and of course he did not need to cry every episode.

Interesting the main couple did not have any BL experience before this series and for their first outing they did exceptionally well. Hill (March Chutavuth Pattarakhumphol) is an inspired game designer who finally lands his dream job and Junji (Mukai Koji) is the CEO of the thai branch of a japanese gaming company and the only japanese working there. The writing of their characters was well done and they gradually show other sides of themselves and reveal that they are not as stereotypical as I have expected them to be from the first two episodes. They grow together in a mature slow way and both overcome their past trauma through trust.

The side couple has the veterans Judo (as Bay) & Fluke (as Phat) and both seem to have fun with their roles. While Bay is a game designer with a big ego and portraited as womanizer, Phat is reserved but a focused chef. Both couples find together due to the research there are doing for their new game which is a dating game but the main characters of said game are only boys. While Junji & Phat are obvioously gay, the other two characters seemed not to be, but this is not the typical hetero to gay trope. Bay sees/feels something in Phat he never felt before and Hill recognizes whom he loved all along (I will not spoil that to you). The only negative is the forced drama in the end, which is imho too much thai influence. They could have solved that in a better way in a less dramatic way.

We will see the side-couple hopefully again, because they announced a second season of "Make a Wish". Koji (Junji) will be back in a BL movie "Love Song" (https://kisskh.at/782204-love-song) this year which is also a japanese/thai co-production playing in Thailand and Japan but sadly with another actor but who look very similar to March (Hill) imho.

The production was good, the actors were good and the vibe was good. I don't know why, but I felt happy watching this. So I see no reason why you should not to watch this series imho.

Read More

Inappropriately Comical

Finally finished this korean drama. Though I'm not into comedy, I decided to give this one a try because I enjoy these kind of themes (murder/mystery/crime), and it suprisingly has a higher average rating in mydramalist. But wow, what a letdown.

Obviously created as a satire, this 16-episode kdrama is comedy gold. It's crazy hilarious. Even if the tone is sometimes dark, the humor and comedic timing are still integrated seamlessly. Which is, in my opinion, the only thing good about it. Its humor.

Everything else is just bad, to be honest. It's over the top and ridiculous. This is probably the drama's main goal - to be over the top- but its ridiculousness just overwhelms all the good stuff it has. It surely has heart and it has good intentions, but trying to portray a convincing dark murder/mystery plot with all that outrageous acting and storyline is impossible. People actually die and suffer here but because of the inappropriately comical mood, I honestly don't know if I have to take it seriously or not.

STORY: The first four episodes are actually great. It sets the tone and introduces all the characters well. All of the main leads - the amnesiac Yook Dong Shik, the psychopath murderer Seo In Woo, and police officer Shim Bo Kyung- have interesting backgrounds and motivations. After those 4 episodes though, the story drags on with all kinds of unnecessary shenanigans. By ep 6, I already know where this is going, and unsurprisingly the ending is super predictable and anticlimactic.

For anyone watching this because of the "supposed bromance" between the sadistic Seo In Woo and the doormat Yook Dong Shik, don't hold your breath. After ep 5 or so, the magic is gone. It's just pure cat-and-mouse game here. The psychopath will finally find out the truth and lose interest towards the MC (Yook Dong Shik), and it's just pure repulsion from thereon; with the sadistic cat mostly trying to kill the mouse, if you know what I mean. (Shame, really. They look cute together.)

CHARACTERS : What really let me down was the main character himself. Yook Dong Shik has been a doormat all his life. This guy has been bullied by everyone for being too nice and naive. There is nothing wrong with being nice, but not to the point where it's already abuse. And the problem is, Yook Dong Shik knows this. He knows that he is being taken advantage of, but did he change anything in the end? No.

In his speech in the final episode, this guy still referred to himself as "the chump and an absolute sucker" and that he would rather "suffer than let anyone else suffer" which sounds really altruistic but in reality, this is abuse too. Letting people take advantage of you does not only hurt yourself; it also damage other people. You make them irresponsible and terrible human beings, which in the long run, will make the world worse. You ain't helping anybody at this point.

The female lead, Officer Shim Bo Kyung is also almost too good to be true. Very conscientious and idealistic. Sounds like a great character, right? She really is. Except for when she accidentally ran over Yook Dong Shik (YDS) with her car and lied about it (ep 1). This was the reason why the main character YDS had an amnesia and became the root of all their problems.

Also, she lets YDS- an untrained and powerless civilian- to accompany her to very dangerous investigations which is not only gravely irresponsible for a cop, but also illegal. (Yikes). But at least, she's the most capable officer in the show. Everyone else in the police department is just laughably incompetent. It's just played for laughs, but when you think about it, it's just really sad because this is the sole reason why the psychopath wins every single time.

Speaking of the psychopath- the sadistic Director Seo In Woo has all the trademark characteristics of an intellectual serial killer, and I was relieved that his character is actually portrayed seriously. He has a solid and consistent character all throughout. Evil, but meticulous. Cold but highly intuitive and rational. He's one of the most believable character of the show. But in the end, there's still no character development and he just remained wicked all throughout.

FINAL EPISODE : I mostly judge dramas by their finale, because I think the ability to tie things altogether and have a satisfying ending is what makes a drama memorable. And this is where the drama falls short as well. Honestly, it could have all ended at ep 10, but they managed to drag it to 16 eps so they could add more unnecessary filler scenes in it. So by the final episode, there's no suspense anymore and I was just tired of it all.

The ending fight between the two male leads are just the same ridiculous, repetitive antics. There's no earth shattering moment of genius or coolness from the main character. It's just terrible, really. Not worth the 16 eps I painstakingly watched to get to this. I honestly hoped that YDS could have at least be cooler in the end and gained the psychopath's respect, but no. All his coolness already fizzled by ep 5, and he could not even outsmart the villain. It's just brute force and luck in the end, which is really disappointing.

There are heartwarming moments here and there that made the drama bearable to watch at least. I especially like YDS's close relationship with his family and his bromantic moments with Chil Sung are really precious.

TLDR: I'm probably not going to watch it again. Way too predictable and no character development. Though humorous and heartwarming, this drama lacks a whole lot of logic and purpose.

Read More

Things to recall

First if all, I know many will check my account why I'm a new user, well congrats cause I am who just finished watching and somehow found my way here. Anyway first of all, no hate for the actors why I only give them 3 star it's not because their acting is bad, it's good actually, the only good thing in the entire film. I only give this rate because of loopholes that didn't even given proper explanation (like the 10-0 agreement that it was supposed to be 5-5) and the butchery they did.

First of all kdj...🫠I don't even know we're to start, cause what do you mean they made him a bully, when he was the one being bullied in the original? What do you mean he hated the ending, when he said he love it when he is still a kid. I could still accept him having the 'writer' skills (even though he doesn't have that in the original) because making your own decisions in a scripted world can be considered writing your own story. Butttt, changing his personality and background is a big NO. They even let him save Kim namwoo (bully in original who plan to kill the grandma) in the 1st scenario when he is the one who killed him in the original. Anyway just no.

2nd of all, changing their weapons that resonate for their skills, or just technically change the use of their skill. 🫠I don't even wanna start, cause they completely change all of it. Big shout out to Jisoo-nim for completely having your character vibe, but sadly, not having any proper scenes expect for her action scenes 😭hell if they only follow her character settings Jisoo-nim well shine more.

3rd of all, and maybe the last because it hurts my heart just remembering the film. For those who haven't read the original, they well only watch it for the actors. And even I a reader watch it just to support my favorite actors their but rating it high for them, is the only thing I can't do, because I also love the original story of the characters of ORV, not Omniscient Reader: The prophet. Well I watch it again? No, watching it once to show my support for the actors is enough for me, watching it again is like watching the original story comes to ruin or just seeing a new dimensions with this film. I'll rather choose to support my fav actors by watching their other films rather watching this again. Anyway if you plan to rate this, please 🙏 just please rate it by basing the storyline in the original story, anyway that's all, thank you .

Read More

No Hushing The Truth

What an emotional ending to this great journey, Hush, and the many lessons and messages along the way. Still, most of all, I like its unequivocal message in that the most valuable, ethical, and courageous human trait is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular, and that a good journalist is not the one that writes what people say, but the one that writes what they’re supposed to write despite what they say. No amount of distorting or manipulating of the truth will make it any less so – No Pain, No Gain, indeed.

Hush has been a thought-provoking drama. I admire it for it tackling everything from misperceptions, fake news, corruption, and discrimination in all its forms but mostly the worst kind that which has been inflicted on society by society. I thoroughly enjoyed how wonderful a job Hwang Jung Min, Im Yoon Ah, and the rest of the supporting cast, writer, director, and production team have done with this well-rounded slice of life drama. Annyeong, until the next one.

Read More

Now this is a drama that deserves to be listed on people's favorites.
Before I go with my review, I'd like to point out a fact that I agree with the point which many other reviewers both here on MDL and other sites pointed out, this drama dealt with new unexplored lands, and was unique in choosing it's characters (and their interactions), the plot. And for this exact reason, and different from what would be expected, it was not everyone's cup of tea, not implying that people who didn't enjoy it are old fashioned and don't prefer introducing new tools to the drama making, rather I have to admit that like any drama that introduced a new genre or plot, it comes with its flaws, which comes from the fact that it's a land not trod before so most screenwriters however veteran they may be, are mostly not be experienced in. But to me, I loved this show's new-ness above anything, and appreciated how realistic and believable all it's characters felt like while at the same time fresh.

I would like to first go with the pros of the show and what I most liked about.

First, The Story:
As I stated above, the story in this show, introduced some fairly new types, in that it deals with mental illnesses and psychological patients on a high level (to the extent that you get the feeling there's no character in the show free of one), but it doesn't deal with it in the normal way where the character suffering from the ailment fights to come over it and ultimately succeeds, it rather sheds light on the true meaning of a psychosis, not just what a patient feels like and behaves like,but also deals with the taboo-ish heart of the problem ie. the stigma toward such illnesses in most societies. The biased viewing of mental ailments doesn't need to be pointed out, and can be easily proved in that people nowadays find it easier to open up about suffering from cancer or high blood-pressure than it is to admit that they're suffering from schizophrenia or some type of phobia. The show tries to emphasize the idea that psychological diseases should not be treated differently from physical ones.
The show goes the extra mile, and discusses the issue through different human relationships, like parent - son, friend - friend, doctor - patient, boyfriend - girlfriend, girl's parent - boyfriend. Above all, it concentrated on the true commitment and resolution that dating a psychotic patient requires.

Second, the script:
At the start of the show especially the first episode, I couldn't warm up to the script and felt the scenario was either too complicated or fast-paced, and sometimes felt they were trying hard to sound cool and smart with some lines. Later on, when I started to get in the vibe of the show, I on the contrary started appreciating the script a lot, each and every sentence counted well, highly witted and fairly realistic compared to other Korean dramas.

Third, the acting.
TOP NOTCH from the WHOLE cast, especially the two leads Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin. I'm a fan of Gong Hyo Jin and already think highly of her acting skills and her charisma and ability to produce a strong sense of chemistry with any actor she acts with, but this was my first drama for Jo In Sung and I'm positive it won't be the last. The Guy is simply a genius! His acting left me breathless at many times, made me rewind some scenes just to appreciate his expression in certain moments. He played a fairly difficult role in a very believable way. Above all you could sense how he is a professional actor who could analyze the character he's playing thoroughly and bring out all it's sides and dimensions however seemingly contradicting they may be, the character he plays would seem like a conceited, arrogant and materialistic playboy at the beginning who acts like a know-it-all, but bit by bit he starts to reveal that there's more to him than meets the eye, and how that character he assumes is rather his defense mechanism.

Fourth The direction:
It's my first drama for this PD, who's most famous for This Winter. Although at first I was a bit distracted and sometimes even frustrated at how CLOSE his face closeups were, like you could count the skin pores on their faces! But putting this point aside which you gradually get used to, the direction and camerawork and also the shooting sites choice was excellent. I loved how they paid attention to the tiniest details in every room to fit the character.

The Music:
I loved the OST in this drama, both the Korean and foreign tracks. I liked how all the vocal songs had lyrics that fitted so much the context. Though I have to admit that there were certain scenes though few they were, in which the BGM didn't quite fit and felt a bit distracting especially at the beginning of the show . But all in all, the music was one of the positive points to the show for me.

Now I move to the few gripes I had towards the show, but I would first like to point out that such gripes never posed as such a problem that would prevent me from enjoying the show.
First, the pace in certain parts of the show was off, meaning that they took their time to show some developments or to cover a certain side story, but when it came for the crucial development it sometimes felt kind of rushed. I won't be explaining in details less I spoil anything, but for instance there were whole scenes wasted for certain characters that later (before even the first half of the show was over) simply disappeared, but compared to that certain developments took time so that when we could finally deal with it was a bit later in show that I personally felt I would have preferred the show was longer just so we could savor them properly.
As for the technical parts, I guess many people who watched this show had their objections regarding some of the technicalities either in the legal or psychological fields, but since I'm neither knowledgeable in this nor that, and also don't really believe one should seek accurate information from dramas, but I still felt like some psychological cases where cured so easily they felt like they've been making it up or exaggerating. I won't go further than that.
There's one character whom I couldn't fathom or understand the idea behind, it's Oh So Nyeo. She was a big question mark for me! I couldn't understand right till the end the necessity of making her a high-schooler, it rather made me a bit wary from Soo Kwang for loving her,....despite how I mostly enjoyed his character other than that point. If someone understands this girl please enlighten me :D

To sum up my super-long review, this show is unique, fun, cool, heart-warming, full of hope and messages....but for me rather than all of these nice aspects, the PERFECT acting delivered here was more than enough for me to fall in love and add it as an all time favorite. I would like to point that especially the few final episodes had the most epic performances I had seen in a long while, maybe even in any other Kdrama I had seen before, I was bewildered and awed at everyone's acting I was soooo glad I had watched the show till the end, those last few episodes starting episodes 12~13 is just too awesome it will definitely redeem for any flaw the show might have exhibited. The final few episodes were so well done I personally felt the story was worthy of being turned into a cinematic movie. All thanks to the actors performance and the well-written story by veteran screenwriter Noh Hee Kyung *hats off*

I really enjoyed watching It's Okay, It's Love, not saying that there were no times when I was frustrated with either a part of the plot or a certain character, but overall this drama was a very fun ride that I would definitely recommend to any Korean drama fan, whether ones who prefer feel-good-dramas or light romcoms or heavy melodramas, who concentrate on the reality factor and originality.

ENJOY!

Read More

I don't know how I came across this drama, but the synopsis and poster made me check it out. I think this drama has a lot of elements in it which makes it a great watch. There's murder mystery, revenge, sadness, romance, deception and humour all in one drama. A likable cast, good writing and decent direction makes it one of the best Japanese dramas for me.

I expected a lot of darkness (look at the poster!) and some melodrama in it. The drama does have a dark tone to it but it has comedic relief which makes it less serious than it is. It was mostly focused on finding the killer and the emotions of the three siblings. Although their motive seems like they are capable of big actions but they are all soft and kind inside.

The characterization was really good. All three siblings are equally likable and you can always defend their actions. I ended up feeling sorry for them when they reminisced about the events that changed their lives, and laughed hard whenever they tricked other people. All I can say is these three are a lot smarter and stronger than they seem. My favourite character was Kouichi and I loved Ninomiya Kazunari's performance. He can act quite well. Being a fan of Erika Toda, I liked her here too. I am used to watching her as a nice girl in almost all her dramas but when she played bad here briefly, it was different. This was her best performance till now out of what I have seen. I also liked Nishikido Ryo. He made his character relatable and didn't fade into the shadows like an underdog.

And as for the mystery- I guessed correctly in the beginning itself. But later when they were doubting someone else, I went with the flow. The murder didn't seem random neither the culprit. It was added up well and made sense. Things were strung together pretty neatly. They didn't mess up the plot in anyway. Apart from that, I didn't care about the romance because it failed to touch me. I found those parts boring and repetitive after a while.

The ending wasn't what I expected. The morale of characters made a major role in here. I would have changed two major things if I could, but it's alright since this ending makes it different from other murder stories I have ever come across. A cliche would have ruined the whole thing by making it seem predictable, but I have would have liked it better. I don't know if I completely agree with the current one but it is sensible so it's hard to criticize it.

I think it's a great drama and not too depressing to watch. Everyone should give it a chance and not hesitate.

Read More

TL;DR? If you don't like sad dramas, you might not want to watch this. But it is seriously well done, and very life-affirming, so it's definitely worth a shot! Great acting and great chemistry, totally trumps all of the tears.

I only have myself to blame, but I hate to admit that I went into this drama expecting it to be a funny romantic comedy that just happened to involve a sad topic.

I have a good reason, though! There is an American movie called Last Holiday that deals with the same idea of a woman finding out that she has a brain tumor and is going to die. Then come to find out, it was all a big mistake and the CT Scan was broken. She has made all of these positive changes in her life and snagged the boy of her dreams and gets to live happily ever after. I legitimately though that this is what Scent of Woman was going to be. That the cancer was going to be a huge joke!

OK, I lied, it wasn't a GOOD reason, per se. But hey, we all make mistakes! You figure out pretty early on in the drama that the cancer was not a joke, that Yeon Jae is really sick. I could have turned it off at that point; in fact, I am shocked that I didn't. But that is the beauty of this drama. It draws you in. I could no sooner have turned away from Yeon Jae's story than I could have turned away from an actual friend with cancer. The actress did an amazing job of portraying someone with a short time live who has so many regrets in her life.

In fact, the entire cast was amazing! Yeon Jae's mom absolutely ripped my heart to shreds when she discovered her daughter's condition. I actually had to call my own mother after I pulled myself together, it affected me so much. The two male leads also were phenomenal, and you just wanted to hug them both throughout the whole thing and tell them it would all be OK.

So, if I liked all of these elements so much, why did I only rate it a 7? There was A LOT of extraneous stuff going on that I just didn't care about. Anything to do with Ji Wook's dad or the bratty girl he was engaged to was just mind numbingly awful. I understand that the writers wanted to give extra conflict to the story, but it was just too much. If they had cut out a lot of that aspect of the story, it would have been a solid 8 or 9, easy.

The music in this drama reminded me a lot of Shining Inheritance. In fact, there was a lot from Scent of a Woman that reminded me of Shining Inheritance. They both had the same feel to them.

All in all, I am not disappointed that I stuck with this drama in the least. The actors did an amazing job with their roles, and the chemistry between the two leads was palpable. There is a tango scene between Ji Wook and Yeon Jae that was one of the hottest scenes I've ever seen in a drama. The moment he takes his jacket off, I die! As for the ending, I don't want to spoil what happens of course, but I was surprised at just how much I liked the ending. While it wasn't as happy as I was anticipating, what with my whole expecting her to not really be sick, but it fit so well with the drama. There is nothing I would have changed about it!

Read More

A GUILTY PLEASURE !!!

Trust me when I say this:
I literally went from WTF is this cringe fest to waiting every week, biting my nails, speculating theories to watch every new episode that airs. episode.

For those who haven't started watching the series and is in a dilemma to start it or not . Let me tell you, either you'll like it or you don't , there is no in between. Either you are the one who would just drop it after few episodes of you'd be totally absorbed in it. I am the latter.

Don't just go by the reviews of the people . Specially the ones that keep watching and but also keeps complaining about it like, it's all s*x , too many NC scenes, weird dialogues etc. etc. Like!!! Bruh!! What were you expecting, it's clearly written over in the disclaimer as well as the synopsis, what's this about... They clearly knew what they were signing up for.

Let me help you a bit on what not to expect, if you are planning to watch:

1. If you're expecting typical romance or romantic premises. My dear it's not, it's s*x.
2. You are not watching something categorically Oscar level, it's just entertainment, so have an open mind.
3. If you have main couple syndrome , this is not for you. There are many couples and all are mains.
4. Should prepare yourself for some English and Japanese with thick Thai accent. It might be cringe at first, but you will start to enjoy it.
5. If you're into green flag characters. Everyone here is fckd up.
6. Watch shows with only happy endings.
7. MOST IMPORTANTLY: If you want to watch it with parents!! Should think twice!

Coming back to the story. The story will get you hinged. All couples have different storylines and they are all connected. What I liked, the most about this series is it gives the audience the opportunity to judge every character and situation based on their perspective. That's what entertained me the most.

PLAYBOYY was not the best BL series, but it's definitely the best on it's own!! It has always entertained me with every episode. I will proudly say this that this series has been MY GUILTY PLEASURE!!!

SO If you have patience, keep and open mind to go on with the story: You will fall in love with it

Read More

Fun and light watch...if you don't take it too seriously

Really, if you start watching this, don't take it seriously or it'll piss you off.
I surprisingly had a nice time watching it. I'm rating it low because from a critical point of view, this wasn't very praise-worthy.

There's a lot of shameless cheating going on in this one. The ml is an idiot (he's literally Denji from Chainsaw Man without the super awesome powers, sad background and intelligence) , the fl is also dumb (but cute), the second ml? Let's just say he's very hot and I understand Yui, I really do. What I do not understand is why she did that to Kyoji. Kyoji , screw Yui, I'll play Pachinko with you any day.

There is absolutely no intimacy or romance between the fl and ml. If you're looking for cute fluffy stuff there is none. nada. nil. zilch. Chemistry? What's that?

So you wonder why I liked it? It was fun to watch. Filled to the brim with dumb humor. Which was honestly hilarious . The acting of the cast played a big part on why I continued to watch it.
I love how the ml wasn't actually a vile guy. He was nice. Just stupid (and horny). The fl respected him for the person that he is even though he wasn't a very good husband.

There were no evil characters either. Just people with their own stories and point of view.

I also loved how supportive the ml and fl were of each other by the end of it. And the support between the ml and 2nd ml was super sweet (My favorite part).

In a way, this drama does hit close to reality. At one point, the Fl trying to convince everyone that she did actually have an affair and that it was very wrong of her, was honestly hilariously sad. The gaslighting going on around her was insane.

And thus, this drama is indeed an average watch. Very infuriating at times. Vey funny at times. It even made me tear up, I won't lie. If you're sensitive about cheating and affairs then this isn't for you.

Read More

A High School Return of the World’s Toughest Guardian Angel

I’ll drop the bomb now.. “High School Return of a Gangster" has got to be one of, if not the most ENTERTAINING, MEANINGFUL, and IMPACTFUL "FEEL-GOOD" series of 2024. Dare I say.. even a masterpiece!

I did not read the original novel, so I’m not sure how faithful it stayed to its source material but when looking at the drama’s storyline, although the concepts aren’t new or fresh, it felt as if the writer cherry-picked some of the most interesting genres, tossed them into a pot, and weaved a compelling tale free of plot holes with exquisite pacing, a steady flow, an unpredictable factor, solid worldbuilding, and impactful characters who had their share of character development. Not to mention, it had the most thought-provoking ending I think I’ve ever seen in cinema.

Originally derived from a BL novel of the same-ish name, I was initially hesitant to give this one a go due to its supposed straight-washing. Although it would’ve been nice if the drama retained its BL elements, I was pleasantly surprised by the BROMANCE. It’s subtle, but I can see just how impactful scenes of two people maintaining 2-second eye contact could be if you cast the right people to portray the characters. That being said, Yoon Chan Young and Bong Jae Hyun practically BREATHED the characters to life and embodied them in such a way that made me resonate with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

On the topic surrounding the cast, I’d like to give a round of applause to the casting team. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of the younger actors who made up 90% of the cast! We did NOT get botched crying scenes or actors who were there just to look good for the camera. The entire team oozed with NATURALNESS, CHARISMA, and delivered an IMPECCABLE performance throughout.

Looking at the characters, we have the unlikely du— I mean, three MUSKETEERS that practically STOLE THE SHOW: The nerd (Choi Se Kyung), the fighter (Hong Jae Min), and the lover (Song Yi Hyeon). Throughout the series, we see steady development for each character, as well as a natural relationship development between the three leads. What I like about these three is how they’re REALISTIC in the sense that they’re FLAWED. I despise dramas that depict specific characters as simply black or white. I like characters who can pack a punch— characters who have some substance, and that’s exactly what we see in this drama. On top of that, the writers gave us a K.O kind of redemption arc for Hong Jae Min (still recovering from this).

As for the experience, this drama scored 10s across the board for cinematography, production, and soundtrack. We got a diverse selection of songs ranging from the classic 80s vibe to the modern, upbeat ones. All of the songs fit the scenes well and are definitely ones that I am adding to my next shower playlist! Also, for the first time in a long time, I watched a drama that had me eagerly waiting each week for the episodes to release. Although it was torture, the revelation was worth it!

Overall, DO NOT KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. Although I understand that some people are avoiding this drama to boycott the whole straight-washing of a same-sex original work, it’d also be unfair to miss out on such a hidden gem that delivers in all aspects, even making up for the missing BL element with its ambiguous undertones.

Read More

Cute at first...but falls off

I had pretty much completely bought into this drama in the first two episodes — the main female lead was timid but not a pushover, bright but not stupid, and the main male lead was stoic but not rude, smart but not condescending. It was really quite a cliche dynamic but it was still enjoyable to watch especially because there were moments where they were equally hilarious and chaotic despite seemingly having such opposite personalities.

As the drama went on it it did start to drag a little with the very typical "does he like me or not" and the "I'm going to step aside for my 'friend'" — but that wasn't my main gripe with it. In fact, I like a good slow burn and I never thought these misunderstandings got too extreme and frustrating.

One thing that did get increasingly annoying, however, was how the main male lead's "social awkwardness" manifested when he got jealous; the number of times he consciously CHOSE to sabotage the female lead's work...it got very frustrating and was neither cute nor amusing especially when it was played off as an inability to express himself.

I also found both of the side ships either boring or over-the-top annoying; one of them didn't have any stupid miscommunications but the side characters also didn't have any sort of backstory or personality. The other one had a female character who was very clingy, a male character who was essentially the same as the male lead, and just no sensible development between the two of them.

Overall it was kind of a light-hearted watch and there were elements of a healthy relationship and great communication, but it was also a drama that just felt very trope-y and average.

Read More

Thrills, Feels and R.I.P.s on the Journey!

AJTL is a crazy ride from start to finish. It’s got action, drama, and just the right amount of feels to keep you hooked. But seriously, what’s with the writers? Did they roll dice to decide who dies next? They really said, “Let’s make them suffer.”

Ren Ru Yi, or Ren Xin, is a total boss. Starts off as a badass assassin with major trust issues, but watching her open up and actually work with people? Love that for her. Ning Yuan Zhou? At first, all serious and mysterious, then boom—clingy and adorable. No complaints, though, because it’s hilarious. The side characters? Not just extras. Even the annoying ones, like LTG, somehow grow on you. And the princess? She carried the plot like a champ.

The acting is solid. The main actress knows her stuff, and the male lead—yeah, he’s newer, but he killed it, especially with the chemistry. And the music? Straight fire. The soundtrack slaps, and LYN, who also plays the male lead, sings it, which is just a flex at this point.

This show is a whole mess, but in the best way. The story keeps you guessing, the characters actually feel real, and the emotional damage is free. Would I recommend it? Hell yeah. Just don’t get too attached—this show does not care about your feelings.

Read More

I love food-related dramas, so I was really eager to see this one. Initially, it reminded me of Happy Home. Alas. it fell behind quickly. Happy Home developed wonderful characters but mainly the complex and well planned plot line carried them through 51 engaging episodes, and I was sorry to see it end. Although Wok of Love stated strong and had excellent actors bringing interesting characters, the writing was scattered and indifferent, Plot lines came and left - at one point, I wondered if they had forgotten that Jang Hyuk was even in the drama. To say that he was under-used is an understatement - they took one of the best actors in K-drama and treated him like an afterthought. He's the only reason I stayed with it to the end. Overall, this was a waste of talent and a waste of my time after the first few episodes - they even forgot to cook very much.

Read More

horror series with horrible characters

Overall: though I appreciated that they tried something different, its release was clouded by lack of an official international release and delayed episodes. Airing 10 episodes about 45 minutes each on Fix Entertainment's YouTube channel (need a VPN set to Thailand). Here is the first episode part 1 link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sNsxNokJwc

Content Warnings: murders, deaths, attempted murder, rape, attempted suicide, torture, blood, gore, jump scares, mental health struggles, kidnapping, gaslighting, sexual assault, coercion, slap, homophobia, non con video recording, manhandling, manipulation

What I Liked
- unique premise
- twists and turns
- intimate scenes were fine (but they were between awful people so I didn't get into them)

Room For Improvement
- many characters were stupid ie telling a murderer that you know what they did
- trope of saw someone hug and thought they were cheating
- trope of extremely drunk and then active participant during sex
- the kid slept way too much (he's 5 so might not be in school, but I've never seen a 5 year old sleep/nap that much)
- really hope there isn't a happily ever after for a certain character because what he did was beyond awful in episode 9
- they never had an international release, made no sense why they geo restricted it to Thailand on YouTube
- that they delayed an episode by a week and then delayed the finale with no word on when it would be released

Read More